Cedar Rapids police seek suspect in rape of 80-year-old woman

An elderly woman was sexually assaulted in her Cedar Rapids home more than one week ago and the suspect remains at large. Investigators say a man broke into the 80-year-old woman’s home on May 5th, raped her and then stole her car.

Cedar Rapids Police Sergeant Cristy Hamblin is asking the public for help so the crime doesn’t go unsolved. “He’s an animal and we want to catch him and put him in a cage where he belongs,” Hamblin said. The attack happened in a neighborhood where a similar crime occurred in October 2009.

That case, which remains unsolved, involved two men who attacked and raped a 70-year-old woman. “That’s just stuck in my belly,” Hamblin said. “It was so awful and we don’t know if it’s related or if it’s the same guy.” In both cases, the elderly women did not know their attackers, making it difficult for police to identify suspects.

Hamblin believes someone knows what happened, but isn’t coming forward with information. “We as a society want to take care of them…children and older adults,: Hamblin said. “We’re not going to forget about it and just ignore that it happened.” In last week’s sexual assault, the car that was stolen is a white Buick Century with Iowa license plates 133HKW.